Emotional end to gritty whodunnit

The writer of Broadchurch has said he found penning the final episode of the hit ITV drama so emotional that he cried.

The third and final series of the show draws to a close on Easter Monday when viewers hope to find out who is behind the rape of Trish Winterman.

The show’s writer, Chris Chibnall, said the conclusion will have “some surprises”, but added that he hoped it would also be “satisfying”.

Talking to The Sun’s TV Magazine, he said: “Sitting down to write the final episode was very emotional and I admit I actually had a bit of a weep doing it.”

For eight weeks viewers have watched tenacious police duo Ellie Miller (played by Olivia Colman) and Alec Hardy (played by David Tennant) trying to whittle down the list of suspects following the attack on Trish (who is played by former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh).

Chibnall, whose previous credits include Torchwood, said he was proud of the final episode he had penned.

“There is pressure with every script, but I am really proud of the final episode,” he told the magazine.

“Hopefully there are some surprises, but I also hope it is satisfying. I think there is a sense of completion and lots of nods to where we started in series one.”

The reveal of ‘whodunnit’ has been so closely guarded that not even his family know the identity - or identities - of Trish’s rapist.

The show’s two leading stars - Colman and Tennant - also weren’t told who it was until they saw the script for the final episode.

Chibnall revealed: “There was an early conversation with the guilty party, but David and Olivia didn’t know and neither did Julie. You could count on your one hand those who knew - it was basically me, the executive producer, the producer and the director.”

Next year, Chibnall will be at the helm of the Tardis as he takes over as the boss of BBC One’s sci-fi hit, Doctor Who.

He said: “I think the secrecy of Broadchurch is pretty similar to the secrecy of Doctor Who, so Broadchurch has been a good training ground. I am holding a lot of secrets!”